In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a lesser number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Candysweet X’.
The present variety was hybridized by me in 1996 as a first generation cross using ‘Ruby Diamond’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,918) nectarine as the selected seed parent and ‘Candy White’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,924) nectarine as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered in the summer of 1996, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in my greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the group of seedlings was transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2000 I selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘Ruby Diamond’ nectarine by producing nectarines that are firm, yellow in flesh color, and nearly full red in skin color, but is quite distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is clingstone instead of freestone, sub-acidic in flavor instead of acidic, and that matures about two weeks earlier.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, ‘Candy White’ nectarine by producing nectarines that are firm, nearly full red in skin color, sub-acidic in flavor, and that mature in late June, but is quite distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is larger in size, clingstone instead of freestone, and yellow instead of white in flesh color.
The present variety is more similar to ‘Sugarine I’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,585) nectarine by producing fruit that is firm, yellow in flesh color, nearly full red in skin color, and sub-acidic in flavor, but is distinguished therefrom by having reniform instead of globose glands and by producing fruit that is somewhat sweeter, that has a little more freckling on the skin, and that matures about two weeks earlier.